The Maze Runner
by James Dashner
★ Top 5 book of 2009 · #3 on Best Books of 2009
Thomas arrives in a walled expanse called the Glade with no memory beyond his first name. Surrounded by boys who are equally clueless, he faces a mysterious maze and a newly arrived girl whose message hints at his importance.
Best for: Teen readers who love mystery, survival, and puzzling secrets in a strange world
The Maze Runner is #3 on BookWard's Best Books of 2009, out of 42 2009 books that cleared our data bar.
What The Maze Runner is about
Thomas wakes in a metal elevator with no memory except his first name. It carries him up into the Glade, a clearing run by Alby and Newt and ringed by concrete walls several hundred feet high. Each night the openings slide shut, because beyond them lies the Maze, whose walls shift every night and which is home to deadly creatures called Grievers. The boys, who call themselves Gladers, send out Runners to search for a way out. Every month a new boy arrives with no memory, until a girl named Teresa turns up carrying a strange note.
Behind the puzzle lies a wider world damaged by a coronal mass ejection, where survivors dread an illness called the Flare and an organization called WICKED seeks a cure using immune young people as test subjects. The first in a series, it follows sixteen-year-old Thomas and is fast and suspenseful, with themes of memory, identity and leadership. It suits teen and adult readers who like a mystery to unravel.
The Maze Runner on the Best Books of 2009
The Maze Runner came out in 2009. Of the 42 books first published in 2009 that met BookWard's data bar, it ranks #3 on our Best Books of 2009 list.
Why it made the list: 2,420 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4 out of 5 (160 ratings); 164 are reading it right now. The list ranks each year’s books on how many readers have picked them up, how highly readers rate them, and how many are reading them right now.
It earns Being read right now.
Nearby on the 2009 list
- The Last Olympian Rick Riordan, #1
- Catching Fire Suzanne Collins, #2
- The Help Kathryn Stockett, #4
- Dork Diaries Rachel Renée Russell, #5
See all Best Books of 2009 Best books by year
More years: Best Books of 2008 Best Books of 2010.
The numbers behind it
- Readers: 2,011 want to read it, 164 are reading it now and 245 have read it, according to Open Library.
- Ratings: 4 out of 5 from 160 Open Library ratings.
| Signal | This book (0 to 100) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 100 | 55% |
| Reader love | 64 | 25% |
| Being read right now | 100 | 20% |
Questions about The Maze Runner
When was The Maze Runner published?
The Maze Runner by James Dashner was first published in 2009.
Was The Maze Runner one of the best books of 2009?
The Maze Runner is #3 on BookWard's Best Books of 2009, out of 42 2009 books that cleared our data bar. 2,420 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4 out of 5 (160 ratings); 164 are reading it right now.
Why is The Maze Runner on the Best Books of 2009 list?
2,420 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4 out of 5 (160 ratings); 164 are reading it right now.
More of the best books of 2009
- The Last Olympian Rick Riordan, #1
- Catching Fire Suzanne Collins, #2
- The Help Kathryn Stockett, #4
- Dork Diaries Rachel Renée Russell, #5
- I Will Teach You to Be Rich Ramit Sethi, #6
- The 4-Hour Workweek Timothy Ferriss, #7
See the full Best Books of 2009, the Top 100, or new books on Rising.
How we know
This page uses public data: Open Library reader counts and ratings, and Wikipedia page views for recent years. The description is paraphrased from real source text. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Lists update monthly.
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